From MCI-Framingham to Freedom

Thirty-three years is a long time to wait. For our first female client and my dear friend, Nancy Wagner (formerly McGeoghean, pictured right), that’s how long it took to overturn her wrongful conviction. For seven of those years, the New England Innocence Project (NEIP) stood alongside Nancy and fought for her freedom.  

I first met Nancy in 2016. I was ushered into one of the small attorney meeting rooms at the Framingham Women’s Prison and was greeted by a gentle, soft-spoken woman accompanied by a doting Labrador retriever – one of many she trained for people with disabilities as part of the “NEADS” program.  

At the age of 21, Nancy was wrongfully convicted of murdering her beloved 23-month-old daughter, Sarah. Science would later reveal that Sarah had in fact died in a tragic accident while sleeping in her car seat at home. However, this was long before anyone knew of the dangers of accidental asphyxiation by car seat straps. Nancy chose to go to trial, trusting that the legal system would uncover the truth that she would never intentionally cause harm to her daughter, but it took many more decades for that to happen. 

Having just returned to work after giving birth to my own baby girl, I could not imagine suffering such a tremendous loss. While I could not bring Sarah back, I wanted to do all I could to correct the compounding tragedy of Nancy’s wrongful conviction.  

That first visit began our seven-year journey that would involve the work of a team of attorneys led by Michael Fee from Verrill and many dedicated people from Latham & Watkins. Revealing the truth in Nancy’s case required the expertise of five skilled experts in psychology, forensic pathology, pediatrics, and serology. 

Over the last seven years, Nancy and I developed a deep friendship involving weekly phone calls and many visits inside Framingham Women’s Prison. After her release in 2020, we transitioned to walks around Cambridge Common and frequent texts as Nancy quickly became adept at technology. 

Finally, on May 24, 2023, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Joshua Wall overturned Nancy’s first-degree murder conviction. The Court’s decision [link] granting Nancy’s Motion for New Trial recognized the “compelling” new evidence that Sarah was not murdered but rather died by accidental asphyxiation while sleeping in her car seat. Judge Wall wrote that, “[i]t appears that the trial resulted in an unjust conviction which must be vacated as the only fair remedy.” Rather than face another trial where she would have to trust a system that had failed her, Nancy chose closure through what’s called an Alford plea, ending the case while still maintaining her innocence. 

I’m often asked why correcting wrongful convictions takes so long, and the difficult truth is that we work within a legal system designed to maintain convictions.  Nancy’s wrongful conviction is unfortunately not rare: It is similar to that of so many other women wrongfully convicted of harming their children because most of these (70%) were also cases in which no crime actually occurred. 

Through all the challenges, Nancy showed amazing resilience. After her release in 2020, she began working and supporting herself almost immediately. She got her driver’s license, reconnected with a vast network of family and friends who supported her throughout her lengthy incarceration, and navigated a world that had drastically changed since 1990. 

After Nancy’s case was finally over, I had the great pleasure of witnessing two events that would have been impossible to imagine on that first visit at the Framingham Women’s Prison. In August, I attended Nancy’s wedding to her husband Ray, a warm and energetic man whose friendship helped her keep hope alive while she was in prison. In September, I watched as Nancy spoke bravely on stage in front of more than 200 people as part of NEIP’s annual Voices of the Innocent event. After so many years of living trapped inside a harmful and untrue narrative, Nancy was able to tell a part of her own story unafraid and secure in her freedom. Moments like these, while they don’t come often enough, are the reason we keep fighting for freedom. 

Thank You to Our Community

Thanks to everyone who attended our fall fundraisers, Jammin’ for Justice and Running for Innocence, and made them such a tremendous success! There is so much joy and healing when we bring our community together and the funds raised help support our work and enable newly freed and exonerated people can attend the 2024 Innocence Network conference in New Orleans.

October 19 was our third annual Jammin’ for Justice event, which included a very special line-up of local musicians who came together to honor the memory of Massachusetts exoneree Ray Champagne and to benefit the work of the Exoneree Network, which Ray co-founded with fellow exonerees Sean Ellis and Victor Rosario.

On November 5, our team returned to the Lexington Battlegreen 5K/10K with the goal of raising $10,000. This event offered options for runners and non-runners of all ages and included a welcoming group of supporters who cheered on our exoneree team members, all of whom inspire us to continue this important work.

Please enjoy the photo album below which includes images from both events.

Giving Tuesday is November 28

November 28 - December 31 Your Gift Will Be Doubled (2X)

Mark your calendars for Giving Tuesday (11/28), a global day of giving, and the launch of our 2023 match campaign. From November 28 - December 31, every dollar donated to the New England Innocence Project will be doubled (2X) for twice the impact (up to $50,000), thanks to an anonymous donor. Don’t miss this unique chance to help fuel our fight against injustice and reunite more families in the coming year.

Please bookmark this page and come back soon to make your 2X gift!

 
 

Bear Brook Podcast, Behind the Scenes: November 30

Bear Brook Podcast: "A True Crime Story," Behind the Scenes
A Live Virtual Event

November 30 | 11:00 AM

Join us for an exclusive virtual event, Bear Brook Podcast: "A True Crime Story," Behind the Scenes, happening on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 11:00 a.m. (EST) and hosted by the New England Innocence Project. Learn about the wrongful conviction story of Jason Carroll who, at the age of 19, was arrested for the murder of Sharon Johnson in Bedford, New Hampshire, and has spent 34 years in prison fighting for his freedom.

Together with one of Jason’s lawyers, Cynthia Mousseau, we'll take you behind the scenes of Season 2 of the popular Bear Brook Podcast, discuss the phenomenon of false confessions, explore the evidence, and provide updates on Jason’s journey to freedom. Get a chance to hear from Bear Brook Podcast creator, Jason Moon, Senior Reporter and Producer for NHPR, ask burning questions, and gain insights into his investigative and storytelling process. This event is a must-attend for Bear Brook podcast enthusiasts and for people who care deeply about justice.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the making of Bear Brook: A True Crime Story and Jason Carroll's case. Mark your calendars and join us online for this live virtual behind-the-scenes exclusive.

TICKETS ARE FREE. Registering for the event will automatically opt you into our New England Innocence Project e-mail newsletter.

Join us for these upcoming events!

Jammin’ for Justice
October 19 | 6 - 9 p.m.
The Burren, Somerville

In this third annual Jammin’ for Justice event, a very special line-up of local musicians joins forces to honor the memory of Massachusetts exoneree Ray Champagne and to benefit the work of the Exoneree Network, which Ray co-founded with fellow exonerees Sean Ellis and Victor Rosario. Specifically, concert proceeds will help ensure newly freed and exonerated people will have the opportunity to attend the 2024 Innocence Network Conference where this community can come together to heal and connect after the trauma of long-term incarceration.

Running for Innocence:
Lexington Battlegreen 5K/10K
November 5

On November 5, our team will return to the Lexington Battlegreen 5K/10K with the goal of raising $10,000. This event offers options for runners and non-runners of all ages and is a wonderful opportunity to meet and welcome our exoneree team members, all of whom inspire us to continue this important work. Funds raised will help pay for investigators and experts to free innocent people incarcerated for crimes they did not commit and will enable recent exonerees to attend the 2024 Innocence Network conference in New Orleans.

Sweeney Todd:
October 13 — November 5 (Talk Back, Oct. 29)
Arrow Street Arts, Cambridge

Join us for Moonbox Productions’ performance of Sweeney Todd, running from October 13 to November 5 at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge. A portion of each ticket sale will go to the New England Innocence Project. NEIP will participate in a ‘talk back’ with the audience after the 3 p.m. matinee show on October 29, 2023.

Join us for Jammin' for Justice, October 19

Join us for "Jammin' for Justice"
Thursday, October 19 (6 - 9 p.m.)
The Burren | Somerville, MA

In this third annual Jammin’ for Justice event, a very special line-up of local musicians joins forces to honor the memory of Massachusetts exoneree Ray Champagne and to support the work of the Exoneree Network, which Ray co-founded with fellow exonerees Sean Ellis and Victor Rosario.

Ray Champagne spent more than four decades in prison for a crime he did not commit before finally achieving his freedom and exoneration in 2020. From the moment of his release until his untimely death on July 12, 2022 in a tragic motorcycle accident, Ray devoted himself fearlessly and generously to developing resources and healing spaces for the growing numbers of people freed from wrongful convictions. He overcame an intense fear of public speaking in order to participate in virtual and in-person events for audiences ranging from high school students to appellate lawyers to state legislators. And in April 2022, he took his first airplane flight since 1974 to attend the annual Innocence Network conference in Phoenix, AZ, accompanied by a remarkable group of others recently freed from Massachusetts prisons and the advocates who helped them achieve their freedom.

Musical guests include Zach Meyer (mandolin) and Rachel Rosenberg (fiddler & vocalist) of The Talking Hearts, a cutting edge honky-tonk band from Boston. Innocence Attorney (and Jammin for Justice founder) Jeff Harris and the “Friends of Ray,” including Boston-based guitarist Andrew Sue Wing, will perform original songs of exoneration along with some of Ray’s favorites from the Spotify playlist which Ray created for his fellow classmates from Tufts University after completing a semester-long Inside Out course offered at Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in the fall of 2019. Ray’s lawyer and CPCS Innocence Program Director, Lisa Kavanaugh, and Exonoree Sean Ellis will speak about their departed friend, Ray. Rounding out the evening, a group of remarkable exoneree musicians, led by Joseph Pope and Albert Brown — the “OGs” — will share some of the tunes that they first wrote and performed together while wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.

Concert proceeds will benefit the Exoneree Network, with the goal of ensuring that another inspiring group of men and women freed from Massachusetts prisons for crimes they did not commit will have the opportunity to attend the 2024 Innocence Network Conference, just as Ray was fortunate enough to do in 2022.

Tickets are on sale now, get them while you can!

Learn about the healing power of coming together for the Innocence Network conference with our video of the 2023 IN Conference in Phoenix, Arizona below.

Watch the video!

Exonerees Lobby to Reform Massachusetts Compensation Law on International Wrongful Conviction Day

Exonerees Lobby to Reform Massachusetts Compensation Law
on International Wrongful Conviction Day

 
 

On October 2, International Wrongful Conviction Day, people freed and exonerated after a wrongful conviction gathered at the Massachusetts State House to advocate for S. 1101 (sponsored by Senator Pat Jehlen), H. 1752 (sponsored by Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy), and H. 1820 (sponsored by Rep. Christopher J. Worrell), bills to reform the Commonwealth’s inadequate laws addressing compensation for those who have suffered the trauma of wrongful imprisonment and long-term incarceration.

Wrongful Conviction Day is a day to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful convictions and to recognize the tremendous personal, social, and emotional costs of wrongful convictions for innocent people and their families. The event was organized by the Exoneree Network, a peer-led initiative funded by the New England Innocence Project.

Speaking at a press conference on the State House steps, Sean Ellis, director of the Exoneree Network said, “These bills are so important. When I came home eight and a half years ago, I had nothing. If it weren’t for the kindness of family and friends, I wouldn’t have had a place to sleep or food to eat. Many people don’t even have that – let alone supportive services, job training, education, and the guidance you need to re-enter the outside world in a healthy and successful way.” Ellis spent 22 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

"Once people hear the stories of innocent people who spent decades in prison and had to fight for months or even years to get some compensation, they become advocates for paying this great moral debt," said Senator Jehlen. "Sean Ellis, Denis Maher and other exonerees organized this day for exonerees to talk to their own legislators. People who have been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned come out with no job, no resume, no housing, no driver’s license, no credit history, no knowledge even of cell phones or other technology.  They need immediate help to get on their feet and more adequate compensation for the loss of many years of their lives." 

Lisa Kavanaugh, director of the CPCS Innocence Program said, “What many people don’t understand is that when someone is freed and after a wrongful conviction – that moment so often captured with a triumphant photograph outside the courthouse doors – they are not automatically entitled to anything from the state. These bills make important strides to address that harsh reality”

"The conversation around wrongful convictions has yet to be a priority of the national criminal justice agenda. It is time we begin to protect our exonerated constituents by solidifying the crucial transition services that the state owes them," said Representative Chris Worrell. "Passing House Bill H.1820 would lift the cap on compensation, standardize transitional assistance funding payments, and would bring some semblance of justice to falsely convicted people."

“I can’t think of a more difficult undertaking than being forced to sit in jail as a wrongfully convicted person. It’s not only unjust, but it robs the person of every fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed to us under our laws and constitution,” said State Representative Jeff Roy (D-Franklin). “H.1752 attempts to right the injustice by providing exonerees with up to $20,000 to meet post incarceration needs such as housing, health care, obtaining personal identification, transportation, electronics such as cell phones, skills training for employment and other post- exoneration needs. It removes barriers that contribute to delay, changes the standard of evidence proof, and lifts the cap on compensation allowing the court or jury to take such factors as loss of income during incarceration, the length and condition of incarceration and any other factors the court deems appropriate into consideration. It seeks to redress the wrong suffered and does so in a way that is tailored to the circumstances of each individual who was wrongfully convicted.”

Among other reforms, these bills propose to:

  • Remove the current cap on compensation to allow for significant periods of incarceration;

  • Provide immediate $5,000 assistance upon release;

  • Clarify that state services can be provided on top of financial compensation; and

  • Provide compensation for people who can prove their innocence, even if their convictions were vacated on other grounds.

Hearings on the bills were heard by the joint Judiciary Committee in May of this year. Exonerees visited legislators, including committee chairs and their staffs, to push for the bills to be favorably reported out. 

The Massachusetts Bar Association also expressed support for the legislation. Damian Turco, the Association’s President, said, "The Commonwealth's obligation to rectify the miscarriage of justice experienced by someone who was wrongly incarcerated should not end with the individual's exoneration. But our current laws provide too little compensation and support once individuals are released. The proposed legislation, which we strongly endorse, removes obstacles and increases the financial assistance and access to state services necessary to make wrongfully convicted individuals whole after unjustly losing years of their lives in prison."

More about the compensation bills:

 
 

New DNA Testing, Previously Withheld Evidence, Demonstrate Man Was Wrongfully Convicted of 1984 Springfield Murder

UPDATE 9/24/24: After 40 years in prison and five previous attempts to overturn his wrongful conviction, Edward Wright was back in court on September 24, 2024, with hope. Radha Natarajan and co-counsel, Stephanie Hartung, were fighting to overturn the wrongful conviction of Edward Wright based on new DNA evidence and evidence that was wrongfully withheld by the government. It was a packed courtroom, with loved ones, Exoneree Network members, advocates, and our incredible legal team that includes attorneys from Skadden and Quinn Emanuel. We don’t know what will happen next, but we cannot stop fighting for justice for our community, even with tragedies, setbacks, resistance, and all the myths that permeate our criminal legal system.

 
 

On Wrongful Conviction Day 2023, Lawyers File Motion for New Trial for Edward Wright Who Has Served 39 Years in Prison for a Murder He Did Not Commit

 
 

The New England Innocence Project, along with attorneys from the international law firms, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, announce that they have today filed a motion for new trial at the Hampden County Superior Court on behalf of Edward Wright, 61, seeking to overturn Mr. Wright’s decades-old conviction for a murder he did not commit. New DNA evidence from key items connected to the murder, police reports kept from Mr. Wright that point to other suspects and show that a police officer lied at trial, and new expert analyses demonstrating the unreliability of the forensic evidence presented at trial, all support Mr. Wright’s innocence, affirming that he was wrongly convicted for the 1984 murder of his friend, Penny Anderson, in Springfield, MA.

In 1985 a predominantly white jury convicted Mr. Wright, a Black man, of this murder, leading to a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Mr. Wright has steadfastly maintained his innocence during his 39-year incarceration and has been fighting this unjust conviction through every legal avenue available to him. However, it was not until recently that this new evidence came to light, evidence never reviewed before by any court, supporting this (his Sixth) Motion for New Trial.

The filing of this motion for new trial occurs on International Wrongful Conviction Day (October 2), a day to raise awareness of the existence and prevalence of wrongful convictions. Research on wrongful convictions illustrates that police and prosecutorial misconduct, flawed or misleading forensic evidence, racial bias, ineffective counsel, and the unavailability of DNA testing at trial are leading reasons why innocent people are wrongfully imprisoned. Each of these factors tainted Mr. Wright’s conviction.

Mr. Wright’s motion demonstrates that for decades, the Commonwealth withheld important police reports that corroborate Mr. Wright’s assertion that someone else committed this murder. These reports show that the crime scene was contaminated and that, while no motive was ever established for Mr. Wright to harm Ms. Anderson, others had strong motive to commit this murder. In addition, the reports provide proof that a Springfield police officer presented false testimony at Mr. Wright’s trial and that the Commonwealth has since made false statements in court filings.

Mr. Wright’s motion also presents new DNA testing and analyses not available at the time of Mr. Wright’s trial. That testing excludes Mr. Wright from key pieces of evidence – including the clothing worn by the victim at the time of her murder and a washcloth with blood that could have come from the assailant. In a violent crime such as this, the absence of Mr. Wright’s DNA on items connected to the murder, and the presence of an unknown male’s DNA on those same items, strongly suggests that someone else committed this crime. In addition, one suspect never thoroughly investigated by police had threatened to harm the victim the night she was murdered and has since confessed to murdering her twice. The DNA evidence also supports new expert analyses that demonstrate that the opinions presented by an inexperienced assistant chemist at Mr. Wright’s trial were inaccurate and unreliable.

The motion asks the court to evaluate all of this substantial new evidence of innocence against the backdrop of Mr. Wright’s 1984 trial, which was plagued by demonstrable racial bias, ineffective assistance from Mr. Wright’s trial counsel, and substandard police work, collectively resulting in a fundamentally unjust conviction.

The Hampden County District Attorney’s Office will now have an opportunity to review the new evidence and determine if it will agree to the motion or fight it. If the District Attorney’s Office opposes the motion, Mr. Wright has asked the Court to hold an evidentiary hearing to examine all of the new evidence of innocence and grant him a new trial.

“We are hopeful that, after an open-minded review, the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office and its new Conviction Integrity Unit will see that there are substantial grounds for Mr. Wright to receive a new trial,” said Stephanie Hartung, Senior Staff Attorney at the New England Innocence Project (NEIP). NEIP’s Executive Director, Radha Natarajan, added, “Whether by agreement or through a court decision, we look forward to seeing Mr. Wright exonerated after all this time and being able to finally reunite with his remaining family.”

Mr. Wright’s co-counsel, Nigel Tamton said, “My team at Skadden has been honored to work with the New England Innocence Project on preparing Mr. Wright’s Sixth Motion For New Trial and, we hope, helping Mr. Wright obtain justice after nearly 40 years of wrongful incarceration.”

Mr. Wright’s co-counsel, Isaac Saidel-Goley said, “Mr. Wright has spent four decades fighting to recover his most fundamental human right – his freedom. Today, my co-counsel and I are honored to present overwhelming evidence of Mr. Wright’s innocence. We are optimistic that the Commonwealth will support Mr. Wright’s fight for exoneration; and we are confident that, at long last, justice will be served.”

On his fight for freedom, Mr. Wright said: “Since I was first arrested at age 22 and this nightmare began, I’ve lost not only my freedom, but also so many family members and friends. These are people that I’ll never see again. When you’re incarcerated, it’s an endless battle to be the person you want to be instead of the person they try to make you to be inside the prison walls. I’ve tried to preserve some semblance of my humanity—have tried to learn the law, to help fix the wrongs in prison to help not just myself but others. And I’ve never stopped trying to prove my innocence. But after so many denials, I am hopeful that a judge will finally look at all the evidence in my case – not just the horrific facts of the murder. I just want the truth to finally come out so a court can do the right thing and I can live out the rest of my life in freedom.”

Thomas Rosa, Jr.’s Convictions Overturned

STORY UPDATE (Jan. 4, 2024): Suffolk DA pushing for fourth trial for Thomas Rosa, Jr.

Thomas Rosa, Jr.’s Convictions Overturned
After Being Wrongfully Incarcerated for 34 Years for a Murder he did not Commit

(SEPTEMBER 7, 2023) The New England Innocence Project and the Boston College Innocence Program announce that Suffolk Superior Court Judge Michael Ricciuti has vacated the conviction of their client, Thomas Rosa, Jr. of Chelsea, who was wrongfully incarcerated for 34 years for a murder that he did not commit.  Judge Ricciuti vacated all of Mr. Rosa’s convictions on September 6 because new DNA evidence and advances in eyewitness science directly undermined the trial evidence that the state used to convict him.

Mr. Rosa, who has always maintained his innocence, was wrongfully convicted in Suffolk County Superior Court for the 1985 murder of Gwendolyn Taylor. Mr. Rosa presented himself voluntarily to the police and was tried three times, facing one mistrial and one overturned conviction before his final conviction in 1993.

Mr. Rosa’s attorneys, Radha Natarajan of the New England Innocence Project and Charlotte Whitmore of the Boston College Innocence Program, filed the Motion for New Trial on June 29, 2020, presenting numerous arguments why his convictions should be overturned.  A decision on October 14, 2020, by Justice Gaziano, acting as the Single Justice for the Supreme Judicial Court, allowed Mr. Rosa to be freed while Judge Ricciuti considered his Motion for New Trial.

In his decision, Judge Ricciuti held that the evidence against Mr. Rosa at trial was “far from overwhelming” and that the new DNA evidence “debunks the prosecution’s closing statement” and “casts doubt regarding the reliability of the eyewitness testimony,” which we now know, based on advances in science, was “not as strong as the Commonwealth thought.”

Specifically, all of the forensic blood-typing evidence that the Commonwealth used at trial to connect Mr. Rosa to this crime is now contradicted by new DNA testing. The only remaining evidence was the testimony of two eyewitnesses who viewed the perpetrator at night for less than ten seconds under circumstances that we now know, based on numerous exonerations and research, create a high risk of misidentification. In addition, Mr. Rosa did not have the one distinctive feature noted by an eyewitness – a missing tooth or gap in his teeth. Finally, the eyewitnesses described a scenario where the victim and assailant knew each other, but Mr. Rosa and the victim never knew each other.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office assented to Mr. Rosa’s motion for postconviction relief and must now decide whether to dismiss the charges against Mr. Rosa or proceed with a fourth trial. Despite a court order requiring the Commonwealth to preserve the physical evidence in the case, the Commonwealth lost the murder weapon as well as other evidence from the crime scene.

“We are grateful that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office agreed to this relief. Given the new DNA and scientific evidence that dismantles the Commonwealth’s case against Mr. Rosa, there is no other just outcome but to have this conviction overturned,” said Attorney Radha Natarajan, Executive Director of the New England Innocence Project, who has been representing Mr. Rosa for the last seven years. Natarajan continued, “We are hopeful that the District Attorney will now end this nightmare by dismissing all charges against Mr. Rosa. There should be no fourth trial for this innocent man.”

Mr. Rosa’s co-counsel, Boston College Innocence Program Senior Attorney Charlotte Whitmore said, “Many BCIP students worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help achieve this long-awaited outcome and we are privileged to have partnered with the New England Innocence Project to achieve justice for Mr. Rosa after so many years of wrongful imprisonment.”

Since obtaining his freedom, Mr. Rosa has been reunited with his family, including his wife, son, and grandchildren, who are a constant source of joy for him. He has been very involved in his community, especially the Exoneree Network community, lending support to others who have experienced a wrongful conviction or suffered the trauma of long-term incarceration. Unfortunately, Mr. Rosa has suffered from declining health as a result of decades of wrongful imprisonment and inadequate healthcare. He looks forward to closing this chapter as soon as possible.

Reading the Court’s decision, Mr. Rosa reacted that “the truth is finally coming out.” Mr. Rosa’s wife, Virginia, stated, “I am excited and believe that the future will get better and brighter. From prison to freedom, how sweet it is!” But reflecting on the prospect of retrial, Mr. Rosa added, "I am free but not free." 

For more information or for media inquiries, contact Jordan Salvatoriello at jordan@newenglandinnocence.org.

Join us for Voices of the Innocent: Against All Odds, September 14

September 14, 2023
6:00 p.m.
City Winery | 80 Beverly St., Boston

Food, Drinks, Program, and Dessert
Business Attire

Please join the New England Innocence Project’s annual storytelling event and fundraiser, Voices of the Innocent on September 14 at City Winery Boston. Hear stories from innocent people impacted by wrongful convictions and their loved ones and learn what it takes to persevere in the fight for freedom. We’re bringing our community together in person for the first time since our inaugural Voices of the Innocent event in 2019 and we can’t wait to share this memorable evening with you!

Funds raised through this event directly support the work of the New England Innocence Project by providing forensic testing, investigation, experts, an experienced legal team, and social service advocates to free innocent people, bring them home to their loved ones, and help them rebuild their lives in freedom. With your help, we can also educate and advocate for systemic change to prevent future tragedies.

Please join us immediately following the program for a community conversation with people
directly impacted by wrongful convictions.

Our Impact Report is here!

Your Support Makes a Big Impact
Impact Report: June 2022 - 2023


Every June, we take a moment to reflect on the past year. We take stock of all that we experience together as a community, moments of pure joy as well as times of great sadness. We expect and encounter fierce resistance in this work, but it’s the growing power and force of the movement that motivates us every day to continue the fight. We could not be more proud of the work we have done together and the real and life-changing impact of our efforts, but there is so much work left to do.

As you can see in this year’s Impact Report below, when you make a gift to the New England Innocence Project, you help to:

  • Free people throughout New England who have been wrongfully convicted and reunite them with their loved ones

  • Shine a light on injustice and amplify the stories of people most impacted

  • Cultivate collective solutions to address systemic issues that have led to wrongful convictions, including official misconduct

  • Shift policy to help prevent wrongful convictions from happening in the future and provide just compensation for those who have suffered a wrongful conviction

  • Support people upon their release and unite and uplift our community 

Click below to view an interactive PDF of our June 2022 - 2023 Impact Report and learn more about memorable moments and some of the many ways your support has been making an impact over the last 12 months.

Click each photo in the report for detailed impact updates.

Updates from the Exoneree Network

Building the Infrastructure to Support the Community,
June 2022 - June 2023

With the vision laid out by its founders – Victor Rosario, Ray Champagne, and Sean Ellis – the Exoneree Network used this past year to build its infrastructure to best support the community of exonerees, people freed but still fighting a wrongful conviction, and those coming home after long-term incarceration. It has been a busy year for the Exoneree Network, and here are just a few of the highlights:

  • Building the Team: Director Sean Ellis built a team of people who are skilled and deeply committed to this work based on their backgrounds and life experiences, making it possible to offer additional resources and services to exonerees and freed people. Please join us in welcoming our new EN staff members:

    • Carolina Nunes, Operations Administrator

    • Shar’Day Taylor, Social Services Advocate

    • Sean Graham, Community Reentry & Program Specialist

  • Funding the Vision: The Exoneree Network has worked to build funding for its vision. During just this last year, EN received funding from:

    • The Massachusetts Legislature

    • The City of Boston Returning Citizens Grant

    • The Columbus Foundation

    • The Boston Foundation’s Open Door Grant

    • Public support via the New England Innocence Project

  • Impacting the Community: Just a few of the things the Exoneree Network has been able to provide for people and families in the community:

    • Immediate financial support

    • Rental subsidies/Emergency Housing

    • Laptops

    • Phones & Phone Plans

    • Technology Trainings

    • Cognitive Behavioral Theory training

    • Couples Support training

    • Family and Partner Healing Circles

    • Speaking fees

    • Transportation

    • Support to obtain benefits, identification, and medical services

  • Raising Awareness: The Exoneree Network has made great strides in formalizing the program and using their platform to raise awareness about wrongful convictions and the long and difficult journey exonerees and freed people face upon release, including:

    • Solidifying its mission and vision

    • Launching the official EN social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram

    • Hosting a logo contest and finalizing their new official EN logo

    • Participating in speaking opportunities and events to talk about the work of the Exoneree Network on a regular basis

    • Participating in media interviews to help amplify their stories and talk about issues that impact people returning from long-term incarceration

    • Advocating for their fellow community members by showing up to court hearings to lend their support

    • Working toward the goal of ensuring all exonerees and freed people know they are not alone and have access to support upon their release

Freedom Party 2023

A Celebration of Freedom & Community

Photo credit: Thaddeus Miles

On June 10, we witnessed the true power of community at the 3rd annual Celebration of Freedom & Community, a private event for exonerees and freed people, and their loved ones. We are reminded that rebuilding after long-term incarceration is a long journey and that support from the Exoneree Network is vital to the healing process. We celebrated newly freed people attending the event for the first time and we held space for those who could not be with us. When we come together, we are a powerful force. We hold so much gratitude in our hearts for days like this.

Shifting Policy Through the Courts

Shifting Policy Through the Courts: 
A Look Back at Our Amicus Efforts, June 2022 - 2023

Amicus support is one way we attempt to create change and shift judicial policy on issues that matter to our community. We file briefs in cases where we believe the perspectives of our community should be represented and where we have some expertise that might help the Court in deciding a case. We have a very active amicus practice because we know that every decision the Court makes can impact our community and so we must make sure that we take every opportunity to be heard. We also work in coalition with other community organizations with whom we are aligned in values and vision.

In some cases where we file an amicus brief, the Court adopts our position. In others, the Court sidesteps the issue that we have briefed or decides differently. Whether we believe that we will ultimately be successful, our goal in our amicus practice is to be honest about what we see and what our community experiences in the criminal legal system. We know that change takes a long time, but in order to make the law more responsive to people’s needs and community demands, we believe that we must speak plainly and truthfully, even if it is not initially accepted. We are experts at persevering, and our amicus practice is no different.

In the last year, we have filed numerous amicus letters and briefs in the Supreme Judicial Court. Here are just a few of the issues we have been raising with the Court in the last year:

  • Racial profiling by law enforcement is unacceptable and unconstitutional whether it is during a traffic stop, a pedestrian stop, or any law enforcement encounter. Commonwealth v. Van Rader. If you have a Mass Lawyers Weekly subscription, you can also read a news article on the decision.

  • When a Court-appointed attorney has openly expressed bigoted views against the very groups to which his client belongs, the resulting convictions must be overturned and new trials ordered. Commonwealth v. Dew. Here is a news article on the case and you can read our blog post here.

  • Both the DNA evidence as well as a “confluence of factors” demonstrates that justice was not done in this case and the defendant should receive a new trial. Commonwealth v. Duguay.

  • Trial courts should have broad power to reduce verdicts that are disproportionate to the acts of the person convicted if reducing the verdict would be consistent with justice. Commonwealth v. Pfeiffer.

  • Science requires the Court to change the rules regarding identification by surveillance video. Otherwise, as surveillance technology grows as a source for identification, more wrongful convictions will occur. Commonwealth v. Brum and Commonwealth v. Fisher.

  • Rules to safeguard people from mistaken eyewitness identifications at trial should also apply in other proceedings – like probation revocation hearings – because they are grounded in science and a person’s liberty is at stake. Commonwealth v. Jerome Jarrett.

Our amicus work is just one of many ways we advocate for freedom and fight against injustice, and we are grateful to our community partners, with whom we work in coalition, as well as our pro bono partners, who support this aspect of our work.  The fight continues.

Wrongfully Convicted People Deserve Immediate Compensation

In honor of exoneree Ray Champagne, we are continuing his legacy
in our fight for just compensation

Ray Champagne was freed on February 18, 2020, after serving 41 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Since then, he devoted his time and vision to developing support for the community of people returning from long-term incarceration and co-founded the Exoneree Network, a welcoming and supportive community for wrongfully convicted people coming home. We lost Ray in 2022 in a tragic motorcycle accident, but remain committed to making Ray’s dream of securing just compensation for all exonerees and freed people who have suffered this terrible injustice a reality.

While finding freedom after years, or even decades, in prison is a joyous thing, there is no existing infrastructure to assist an innocent person returning from long-term incarceration back into the community. Therefore, wrongfully convicted people often leave prison with no immediate support from the state and must rebuild their lives from almost nothing. This is why the Exoneree Network was created, to help fill this gap.

As many exonerees in Massachusetts have experienced, they can sue the state for financial compensation, but that process can take years, and if they are successful, the maximum amount of money they can receive for all they have suffered is $1 Million.

This legislative session, we have the chance to better support wrongfully convicted people, thanks to State Senator Patricia Jehlen ⁦and her ongoing fight for change. Senator Jehlen, along with Representatives Jeff Roy and Chris Worrell, have filed bills that would, among other things, lift the million-dollar cap, speed up the process to get compensation and provide immediate financial support, as well as access to social service advocates, to people while they await the resolution of their compensation claims.

On May 17, they hosted a legislative briefing on this issue at the Massachusetts State House and we attended, along with Boston College Innocence Program and CPCS Innocence Program, to talk about the difficulties people face after long-term incarceration (pictured below).

 
 

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch this video segment produced by Mike Beaudet at WCVB-TV, Ch. 5, featuring three exonerees, Ray Champagne, Robert Foxworth, and Fred Clay, who collectively spent more than 100 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. In this important interview, Ray, Robert, and Fred discuss the difficulties of being released without financial support or resources and how Massachusetts needs to do more for people who've been wrongfully convicted.

We are grateful to those who continue to shine a light on this critical issue and who fight for adequate compensation for wrongfully convicted people and will do everything we can to continue the fight in Ray’s honor and for so many others.

Inaugural Systemic Misconduct Summit

Collective Learning to Fight a Leading Cause of Wrongful Convictions


On May 12, 2023, the New England Innocence Project and the CPCS Innocence Program hosted their first-ever Systemic Misconduct Summit, envisioned to be the first of a series, using space donated by Goodwin Law. This first meeting was designed to gather people who work in the criminal defense and post-conviction space to discuss systemic misconduct committed by police, prosecutors, and other state actors, but also to share ideas and successful strategies, as well as brainstorm new approaches to litigate systemic misconduct going forward. There were 100 spots available at the Summit and the event was fully sold out.  

Event speakers included people who have litigated or are currently litigating systemic misconduct in Massachusetts, including NEIP Executive Director, Radha Natarajan, Luke Ryan who litigated cases related to the drug lab scandal, Rebecca Jacobstein of CPCS’s Strategic Litigation Unit and Matt Segal from the ACLU who are litigating police and prosecutorial misconduct in Springfield, and Ira Gant from CPCS who has been involved in the breathalyzer litigation.  

The Summit was premised on the understanding that government misconduct is a major cause of wrongful convictions and because it involves systemic actors, it is almost never isolated behavior or limited to one case in the criminal system. A part of the discussion focused on the need for global remedies for misconduct cases involving prosecutors and police, including mass exonerations. As we know, Massachusetts is no stranger to mass exonerations — nearly 40,000 drug cases were dismissed in the wake of the recent drug lab scandals. It is fundamentally unfair to place the burden on individuals to overturn convictions that are based in part on actions of people with a known history of misconduct. At NEIP, we are uniquely situated to understand how extraordinarily difficult it can be to do so— especially given that post-conviction counsel are regularly denied access to records of professional misconduct.

Finally, the attorneys attending the Summit were fortunate to hear from two exonerees — past and current NEIP board members, Sean Ellis and Robert Foxworth (pictured right) — whose remarks illustrated the human impact of concealing evidence of misconduct. People impacted by government misconduct are our greatest resource for information about the depth and breadth of misconduct in our community. In their keynote address, Sean and Robert each gave moving accounts of losing decades of their lives to wrongful conviction based, in large part, on instances of police and prosecutors hiding exculpatory evidence, lying, and presenting false evidence in support of their convictions. Their words were a reminder of all that is at stake in this work.

We look forward to continuing the Systemic Misconduct Summit series in the coming months, as well as enacting strategies and sharing key learnings to help make freedom possible for people wrongfully convicted due to government misconduct.

Happy 20th Freedomversary, Dennis Maher!

Please join us in celebrating Dennis’ 20 years of freedom
by leaving a comment for Dennis below this blog post!


It’s been 20 years since Dennis Maher walked out of prison a free man after spending almost as many years behind prison walls for a crime he did not commit (19 years, two months, and 29 days to be exact).

In November of 1983, Dennis, then a sergeant in the US Army, was charged with, and ultimately convicted of, the assaults of three women based primarily on eyewitness (mis)identifications. Between the sentences for the criminal convictions and a subsequent civil proceeding, Dennis was subject to life in prison, death by incarceration.

“I couldn't believe that I was going to prison for something I didn't do," says Dennis. "It felt like everything was lost in an instant." 

In 2001, Dennis contacted the New England Innocence Project and asked if we could review his case. 

“I sent NEIP all of my court papers from my trials, my appeals, anything I’d ever done. And one day, Aliza Kaplan, a NEIP lawyer at the time, and Karin Burns, a legal intern, showed up at the prison. The officer told me that I have an attorney visit and I said ‘I don’t have an attorney’ and he said ‘Well, you do now.’

As you can imagine, I was pretty much in shock because I had thought my life was over and I was going to die in prison as an innocent man.”

In December 2002, thanks to the persistence of Dennis and his legal team, Aliza and Karin, DNA test results of the evidence excluded Dennis from being involved in any of the three attacks. Dennis was exonerated on April 3, 2003 after spending more than 19 years in prison. He was one of the first people to ever be exonerated in Massachusetts.

“When I first got out of prison, there was no support system, no Exoneree Network like there is now,” adds Dennis. “I had to adjust to cell phones and the internet. None of that was around when I went in. I was a diesel mechanic in the military, so I had to figure out how the computers talk to the trucks in order to get a job. It was a lot to learn.

I was one of the first clients of the New England Innocence Project and one of the first DNA exonerations. Over the years, I’ve testified at State Houses to help pass laws to prevent wrongful convictions and provide compensation for exonerees, and I’ve spoken at high schools and universities all around New England. I even served on NEIP’s Board of Trustees for several years. It makes me feel good that I was able to give back and to help someone else find freedom who may not have had any other chance of getting help.

In freedom, I met my wife Melissa and we got married, and now we have two kids, Josh and Aliza Karin (see the poem she wrote for her dad below). It’s what I’ve always hoped for. Of course, Aliza is named after the two women who got me out of prison, Aliza Kaplan and Karin Burns. Now, Josh is graduating from high school this year and Aliza will be graduating next year. The world has changed and I've had to adapt to it. But, life is good.

Me and Aliza still call each other on April 3rd, every year. I've been out 20 years now and we're still in touch. It's a friendship that will never be broken. Freedom means more to me than life itself and I’m very grateful to everyone who helped get me here.”

– Dennis Maher, exonerated April 3, 2003

 
 

Photo caption: Aliza Karin Maher (age 17), Dennis’s daughter,
wrote this poem about her dad in March 2023.

Growing our Team to Grow our Impact

Help us welcome our newest team members!

Our team is growing and the momentum can be felt in every corner of our work. In the last year alone, we have added seven new staff members to the team, each of whom plays a vital role in the fight for freedom. This increased staff support impacts all aspects of how we fulfill our mission, from expanding our ability to take on new wrongful conviction cases throughout New England, to preventing wrongful convictions by challenging unreliable forensic evidence, to building our support services for people released after long-term incarceration. 

Please take a moment to meet all 15 members of this incredible NEIP team, including our first-ever Social Service Advocate, as well as our new attorneys, full-time Exoneree Network staff, development team members, and more.

“When the opportunity arose to join NEIP I could think of nothing more challenging or rewarding than being an advocate for the wrongfully convicted and disenfranchised, and aiding in their release and transition back into their community after so many years lost. I truly believe that I was made for this position and am more than ready to accept my calling.”

— Shar'Day Taylor, Social Service Advocate
(*New* NEIP Team member)

"I find great purpose in fighting against the systems of oppression that the American criminal legal system helps protect. I look forward to fighting against these systems while also providing any relief possible to individuals who have been harmed by them. By joining the amazing staff at NEIP, I hope to accomplish both goals alongside a team of incredibly talented individuals who share similar values."

— Mike Hamman, Staff Attorney
(*New* NEIP team member)

"When I first started at NEIP, the sheer volume of applicants shocked me, as did the lack of any urgency in the system to right a wrong. It should not take 30 years for a wrongfully convicted person to regain their stolen liberty. It motivates me to uncover the evidence of innocence by turning over every single rock, looking in every crevice, and employing creativity to help free our clients.

The people at NEIP have really inspired me. The humanity, compassion, empathy, and sincerity shown to and expressed about the clients, as well as others on the team, and their willingness to make a difference in another person's life, no matter how small, is beautiful and unmatched."

— Kari Cincotta, Supervising Attorney
(Joined NEIP in January 2022)

"I joined the NEIP staff in an effort to become more immersed in the growing social justice movements in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, and so many others. As a mom of two young Black boys, I also felt an obligation to immerse my sons in the movement as well and be a role model for them as they prepare for their journey from boys to men. This work is so incredibly important for everyone, not just for the individuals, but for our communities and society as a whole."

— Cynthia Reeves, Development Coordinator
(Joined NEIP in March 2021)